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Chapter Seventeen: It Takes Time

She pushed the doors and stopped right away as a bright light blinded her, soon followed by a metallic click. She swallowed hard feeling panic pass underneath her skin.

"Have you lost your mind?" Hand on her stomach, brow furrowed. "You should have locked the door and put the warning sign. I am not wearing any protection!"

It was a complete outburst, justified – even more now – but so out of character for her that the man looked down at his feet mumbling vague apologies. Dr. Isles never lost her nerves. Until now because this was exactly what had just happened. Trying to calm down in order to bring a semblance of fairness, Maura ran her tongue over her lips and shrugged.

"Using the x ray machine requires meticulousness. There are many rules to follow in order to avoid exposition. It is... It is harmful for the body."

And whatever was inside too, starting with a baby-to-be. If she kept on exposing the fetus to x rays, her pregnancy would be compromised and if not then she put at risk their child for a lot of malformations she could easily avoid. It wasn't responsible at all. Trying to ignore the fact that she was shaking like a leaf, Maura walked to one of the tables and grabbed the file she had come to pick up in the first place.

"Just... Just be careful, next time. Please."

In a whisper of vague apologies before her outburst, she exited the room and walked back to her office. She was still shaking and suddenly felt weak. A seat. She needed a seat, and now. Her legs carried her to the couch but not to her desk. She let go of the file, it would wait. She grabbed the muffin abandoned on the coffee table that she hadn't had time to eat yet – took a deep breath – and began to chew on it.

Perhaps they had been wrong and her job was actually as dangerous as Jane's. If she wasn't exposed to guns, a thousand machines were just as harmful in her close environment. From products used in the lab to x rays.

A morgue wasn't the safest place to be when pregnant.

"Dr. Isles?"

Her assistant's voice made her jump. She turned around, looked at her. "Yes, Emily?"

"You have a visitor. Your mother is here."

Fantastic. As if the day wasn't bad enough to hide her pregnancy yet making sure that she was handling it as she should, her mother was now showing up. Unexpectedly. Since when was she supposed to be in Boston? Unless she had a couple of hours to kill before heading to some other exotic destination. Maura had stopped trying to follow her agenda for a while.

"Oh, good. She can come in, of course. Thank you."

Too hungry to put the muffin back on the table, the honey blonde stuffed it in her mouth and – on the verge of choking on it – stood up to adjust her dress just as her mother came in.

"... 'mornin'..." Maura blushed. This was not very polite. No one talked with a mouth full. She let her mother kiss her cheeks and motioned her the couch. She was still feeling weak. Maybe a cup of tea was all she needed.

"Bonjour." Bright, warm smile. Constance nodded as her daughter held out a mug to her and waited for her to sit back on the couch next to her. "I err... How are you? Angela told me you were here this morning so I decided to stop by to see you."

Maura blinked. Was this some sort of Twilight Zone? Sure her mother's revelations during the wedding celebration had changed the perspectives of their relation but still, this was a first.

Taken aback, the scientist shrugged; cleared her voice. What was she supposed to say?

"Fine. I am... Err... Yes, I am fine. How are..." But before she had a chance to finish her very own question, her mother had grabbed her chin to make her look up.

Constance squinted her eyes – observed her under every angle – before letting her eyes drop to the rest of her body. Stopping way too long on her chest. Maura blushed, uncomfortable.

"You are pregnant."

Frown. Was it that evident? Nobody seemed to have guessed anything until now. Perhaps her bras were slightly tighter and her waist thicker but the changes were – for the moment – more or less discreet. For her highest relief. The day she started showing, they would have to admit the whole thing.

But it wasn't even a question. No. Constance had stated a fact with an objectivity that let the honey blonde disarmed. For a woman who had barely seen her grow up – who barely knew about her life – she was quite an excellent observer.

"How long...?" Second question.

As much as Maura couldn't see inside her mother's brain, she could hear the machine go on and questions bumping into each other desperately trying to solve the mystery of the rather unexpected news.

And she couldn't lie.

Defeated – betrayal towards Jane kicking in – she cast a glance at the door left opened before swallowing hard.

"August, 22nd. I went through the insemination on August, 22nd and got the results on August, 29th. But it is... It is very recent. Too much to say it to everyone. We want to wait for a while."

Constance nodded. At least Maura knew that her mother would respect their decision. They could trust her without any problem whatsoever. But if it reassured her, the smile that grew on the artist's lips and the way her eyes seemed to water took her completely aback, bringing warmth to her heart. A very emotional one.

"I had assumed that you had either postponed it or that it hadn't worked out because of your silence after it. I hadn't forgotten that you had told me it were scheduled the week after your party but since you hadn't reached me... Oh, ma chérie..."

And all of a sudden, Maura found herself in her mother's arms. It was true. She hadn't tried to reach her after the artificial insemination, even less after the results. It wasn't that she had misjudged her – no, not really – although if she had to be honest, a part of her had assumed that her mother would have forgotten about it.

And now she couldn't feel guiltier to have thought such a thing.

As she broke the embrace, Constance immediately brought a hand to her daughter's stomach. The gesture took Maura aback. Nobody had done that until now. Nobody but Jane. And she would have never imagined that her mother would turn out to be the first one.

"How are you feeling? You are a bit pale. Perhaps you should eat a bit more, or take a couple of days off to have a rest. I know that you work hard but now you need to adapt to it... It is a big change, you know. Even if you can't feel it for the moment. It takes time to fully embrace the realization that you are having a child." Constance's smile faded away discreetly. "I mean I suppose so..."

The silence that followed grew uncomfortable. The bitterness that had risen from the remark weighed heavily. Maura looked down, not knowing what to say. It was all new for her. She had never known that her parents had tried to have another child, she had never known that it hadn't worked out. And now the harsh truth laid there, right in front of her eyes.

"I am rather fine. Just slightly tired but nothing... Nothing worrying."

Constance nodded, accepting in silence the way her daughter preferred to avoid the subject. "Anyway... I was stopping by to invite you over for lunch. I was planning on staying here... Until tonight but if you take a few days off, I would gladly stay in Boston for a bit longer."

Maura blinked. She had to stop this, the whole thinking before replying. It took her way too long and made people unfairly panic.

"I am not sure I actually can take days off right now considering the amount of work I have but I can adjust my hours and spend a little less time here so if it is fine with you then I am... Would be more than happy to have you here."

Would she? Usually, they only had dinner together and – at times – attended an exhibition. All of that within a few hours. What would they do during several days, exactly? Jane was not available. She was in the middle of a delicate case, a stressful one.

"Then it is a deal, Maura. I won't interrupt you any longer. Is 1pm okay for you? If so then I will wait for you upstairs. Do you want me to book a table? For three? Or four? Angela may want to join and I suppose Jane will do as well."

Yes. That was definitely the Twilight Zone. Odd but pleasing.

"Oh... Don't book anything, Jane is very busy so I am not sure she will be able to join us but then you will see her tonight at home."

Jane. As soon as Constance left – after another round of hugs and kisses – Maura rushed to her cell phone to send a message to her wife.

I think my mother is suffering from psychological disorders.

It didn't take Jane a long time to reply. Obviously, her case had reached a dead-end and she had nothing better to do; if only to think about something else than her frustration for a little while.

The hell?

Maura sighed – frowned – and shook her head.

Language.

She has just stopped by – guessed I was pregnant – and has decided to stay in Boston

a bit longer to spend more time with me, pushing me to adapt my hours at work.

See. All the evidence are here. She might actually have a borderline tendency.

One. Two. Three.

She's just being a mother, Maura. She's not crazy. Might be a bit late for her

but hey... For some, it takes time.

Her stomach growled. Settling further against the cushions of the couch, the honey blonde passed a hand on her stomach and smiled. She was happy. Plainly happy.

And hungry.

I love you, Jane.

The phone on her desk rang. She stood up – took the call – but replied blankly, too focused on the message she had just received.

Of course, you do. Thanks to you, Frankie won $50.

He had bet we'd get married before the summer.

Now the bets are on our child: boy or girl.

An amused smile played on Maura's lips as she shook her head at the message.

You will see that we will have twins and nobody

will have bet on that.